The Republican chairman of the House Small Business Committee, a Democratic committee member, and a small business owner testifying before the panel agreed April 17 that the definition of full-time workers used in determining whether employers will pay fines under the health care reform law needs to be changed.

At a hearing before the House committee on “The Health Care Law: Implementation and Small Businesses,” its chairman, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), said he suggested in a comment letter to the Treasury Department on its employer mandate proposed rule that the agency consider not defining full-time workers as those working at least 30 hours per week.

Under the Affordable Care Act, businesses that employ at least 50 “full-time equivalent” workers must provide employees health insurance that meets the law's definition of minimum essential coverage and affordability or pay large penalties that are not tax deductible.

Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), a member of the panel, agreed that the definition of full-time workers “needs some tweaking.” In addition, he said, for companies with between 50 and 200 employees, ACA “is a tough deal. We've got to figure out how to make this work for you all.”